Space Invader opened on 21 August 1984, and was Blackpool Pleasure Beach's fourth steel roller coaster. The ride itself was constructed by Zierer, a German ride manufacturer. The original ride was similar to the ride as it is today. In 2000, a young boy died after reportedly unbuckling his safety belt from panic. It was refurbished in 2003 by Kumbak Coasters and reopened in 2004 as "Space Invader 2". In September 2008, the ride closed following a failed evacuation during operating hours. It was removed in June 2010 and announced to be sold to Brean Leisure Park in July 2010. The ride was refurbished and renamed 'Astro Storm' prior to its opening in 2011.
The ride
After leaving the station, cars make a 90° turn to the right and are carried to the top of a chain-lift hill; the cars then descend a 59ft drop in the dark, at an incline angle of 36°. The ride then has several drops, banked turns and helixes, before cars reach the brake run and return to the station to be unloaded.
Astro Storm operates single car trains. Riders are arranged in three rows for a total of three riders per car with a T-bar restraint. Before 2003 (when it was the Space Invader at Blackpool), the ride used cars which were able to carry 4 people and riders were restrained by a seatbelt.
When it was Space Invader 2, the ride was themed around a journey through space and was decorated with glow-in-the-dark pictures of stars, planets, and aliens. The queue and loading area were themed around a space station, with various signs telling riders the wait time to board their ride vehicles. Some parts of the queue were themed around the Star Wars films, such as a statue of Han Solo stuck in carbonite.
Astro Storm however has a different approach with regard to theming. The queue area (which is now outside) is themed and has a queue line video. This video tells you that "Astro Tours" is going to take you on a journey through space. Once the train starts, you go through a set of doors followed by a screen with a man exclaiming "Abort!". The shouting continues as you go up the chain lift, with it becoming more chaotic as you reach the top. The rider is met with strobe lights and sirens while the rest of the ride is in pitch black. Although there are lighting effects on the trim brakes and additional audio effects.
Incidents
On 21 July 2000, 11-year-old Christopher Sharett died after he fell out of the ride vehicle. Authorities ruled his death as 'accidental' since he panicked and unbuckled his seatbelt before being hit by another cart.[1]
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